Stacey Parker uses a pick ax to cut away the lawn near the sidewalk in front of her Davis home. Cutting a border about six inches wide will allow the cardboard to "hug the edges more effectively," she says. Katie F. Hetrick/Courtesy photo

The front lawn of Stacey Parker's home is nearly completely covered with cardboard sheets and a thick layer of mulch. Katie F. Hetrick/Courtesy photo

Stacey Parker is gradually covering the lawn of her newly purchased Davis home with sheets of cardboard and mulch, designed to kill her lawn by fall. She plans to replant with low-water plants that will provide shade and will attract native wildlife. Katie F. Hetrick/Courtesy photo

Stacey Parker, a horticulturist for the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, is using the sheet mulching method to kill the lawn of her newly purchased Davis home. Sheet mulching with cardboard is an inexpensive way to remove a lawn that does not require chemical application or sheets of plastic. Katie F. Hetrick/Courtesy photo